Add a new page

Possible Plans

Prepping for Solstice party and the probable crossing of the Usurper (Donal said he'd show up)

Trying to convince the Stormwall to think along the same lines as the PCs

The solstice is the night of the 22nd of June.

Mother Hume

Esme, Maleos, Aida went to speak with Bryn Hume; used Shimone to open the door and Minta's name to get past the journeymen. Many days of delay, but convinced Bryn to come with them to solstice party at the Godswatch and basically see for herself that the dream she had would be realized. Party learned that Usurper has been messing with some priests' divinations.

Arrowing

Darias stayed at the Godswatch working on contract and trying to make contacts; built special argia-infused ballista bolts x3 that can be charged with up to a lv 3 spell. Worked with one of the sergeants (Mathias Keeley) under Uriel Hume on some weapons and tactics - good basic contact for party

Laying Groundwork

party passed around their 5 doses of mythic power (Esme had held one back for an emergency), convincing Esme, Donal, Minta Hume, Uriel Hume, and a priestess of Olidammara named Railee Vonnegut to take the doses and be prepared to become mythic

Risking Gold

Darias spent a gold boon to speak with Perai Luun directly, petitioning him to send an avatar to Golddale, Brightmill, Violetford, and the Godswatch at Midday on the solstice to speak of the coming Usurper avatar and of the future of Isle. He only could maintain his avatar in so many places casting so many spells for about a minute, but he did so, delivering this speech and casting things like calm emotions, control emotions, ring of truth, and similar while also spinning illusions of some of the things he spoke. The PCs chose to out themselves as the "chosen of the gods" to the entire Isle (including illusory depictions of themselves along with the speech). This turn took Bryn Hume quite by surprise, but as previously agreed, she backed their play and confirmed the Words of Pelor to her following as a great and powerful omen of hope for all Islanders.

People of Isle, hear me. I am Perai Luun, God of the Night, Lightbringer to Darkness. You have long conflated me with my brother, Perai Sol. You know us as Pelor, and as Pelor, I bring to you a message from all of the gods.
A great demon approaches your homeland tonight. Your Stormwall will stand strong against it, assisted by other heroes of the realm including the Chosen of the Gods (image). This demon has deceived some of you, lied to you, and I am here to shine the light of truth. Hear my message thus:
Trust your Chosen. We have shared great secrets with them. Listen to them, for they have committed to freeing you from the unintended imprisonment under which you currently suffer. Together they will reconnect you and your long-lost kin and bring you to your rightful place in this world.
Trust the Watchers. They stand guard against interlopers, but not all who will cross the Bridge are demons. The Watchers will lead you true in protecting your land.

Immediately after the avatar's message, the priests of Pelor, Olidammara, and Fharlanghn in attendance surrounded the PCs and escorted them quickly into the temple, barricading themselves there for a time while the priesthood and Watch quelled the sudden unrest (including some rioting) among the populace. The PCs were teleported out to the Godwatch to prepare for the night's predicted battle when things had quieted down enough to spare the manpower to do so.

Quelling the Usurper

The newly-anointed mythic candidates and the PCs were divided into two teams, one to enter the ethereal plane (Esme, Walter, Minta, Uriel, and two teams of Stormwall soldiers) and one to enter the shadowlands (the PCs, Donal, and Railee). The rest of the Stormwall would stand against the "Worm That Walks" crossing the physical Bridge, intended to be a distraction from the "tunneling avatars" in shadow and the ethereal.

The PCs met the Usurper in battle in their bronze-boon shadow-forms on the plane of Shadow and, despite suffering some heavy injuries, defeated it through a combination of Darias and Aida's hammer-blows and Maleos wrapping it in chains and crushing it under metal slabs. Perai Luun provided magical protections for the PCs, preventing the Usurper from bringing its full wrath to bear on them. As planned, Donal and Railee provided critical support (buffs and healing spells) as well as Donal damaging the Usurper by shifting his body into flame. Darias and Aida were badly poisoned by the Usurper, but they were able to neutralize the venom thanks to Railee's preparations; they also learned that Donal was immune to the poisoning attack.

Having finished the fight with the Usurper on Shadow, the PCs planeshifted back to the Island to find themselves in immediate combat with the critically-wounded Worm That Walks avatar and its fleet of wormbats. Darias and Aida staggered it to watch it be finished off by one of Darias's enchantable ballista bolts. The party then coordinated to soak (Darias's create water), freeze (Maleos's coldball), fry (Aida's lightning strike), and boil (Donal's fire elemental wild shape) the wormbats. Just in time, too, as the bronze boons the PCs had used wore off just then, leaving them just enough time to begin triage (with Darias burning another bronze boon to help quickly triage the wounded Stormwall) before Esme and company returned from the Ethereal plane.

Debriefing

After injuries were treated, Banister held a short speech for the troops. He dismissed them from duties for at least the next day and congratulated them on serving their Island as they'd long trained to do. He also had Uriel and Minta address the troops directly, both thanking the gods for this wonderfully bright future that the Stormwall would lead the Islanders to. They then brought the Chosen of the Gods up to say a few word.

Darias gave an off-the-cuff speech thanking the soldiers for doing their duty and committing to do whatever the Island needed to remain safe.

Maleos attempted to Maleos things up, trying to explain the theories behind the Usurper and how to best fight it before being gently escorted away by Darias and Aida.

Aida then spoke to the solders, affirming the same topics as Darias had and touching on some other issues. Importantly, she addressed a Stormwall private in the crowd (Private John Eriksson) who had commented upon her age incredulously. She spoke to him directly, though briefly, addressing what he'd said and promising to speak to him more after debriefing with the captain.

Once the speeches were complete, Captain Banister dismissed the troops and brought all those who entered another plane to explain to him just what the hell was actually going on. The PCs thus told the story of their lives, in its essentials, to the gathered Stormwall officers and some of the high priests of the Island.

Aftermath

The Stormwall suffered significant casualties in the fight against the Usurper despite the help of both the PCs and Perai Luun himself, but the incredibly quick support of the nearby priests (nearly 50 journeymen, competents, and masters) kept the vast majority of the casualties from becoming debilitating or mortal. 3 Stormwall privates and one sergeant under the Prime Cohort were injured severely enough to warrant discharge; another 2 privates died of their wounds. Minta and Uriel had both taken a their Lieutenant's squad along to the ethereal to support their combat against the Usurper there. Two of Minta's and one of Uriel's men were badly injured in that action and died of their wounds before they could be treated.

All those who died in the battle suffered from some kind of degenerative neurotoxin that wasn't able to be neutralized quickly enough to save them. The fact that so few died speaks volumes about the effectiveness of the priests on site. In all, 8 Stormwall soldiers were lost in the battle, but 3 avatars were killed as a result, and that with Perai Luun's powers severely compromised.